The Sum of Us
by Writes with Block
Summary: What does it mean to be the daughter of the One? I hate doing summaries. Anyone out there that wants to do them for me? Written for Julie. Rated for later chapters. CHAPTER SIX IS UP!
1. Chapter One

The Sum of Us  
  
A Matrix Fanfiction  
  
(formally known as the flight of horis)  
  
***  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine! Not mine!  
  
***  
  
******  
  
Author's Notes: For Julie. Another request fic. This fic was written before I ever saw the second Matrix, which I saw yesterday so it doesn't follow the story line of Reloaded. Sorry if you don't like that but that's the way it is.  
  
Julie's request was that the story involve a daughter of Neo and Trinity and center around her struggles with being the daughter of the One. So here it is Jules. I hope you like it.  
  
******  
  
Chapter One  
  
"Ah, the prodigal son returns!"  
  
Neo chuckled and clapped Link on the shoulder as he sat up. "Good to see you too," he greeted as Link pulled him to his feet. He stretched with a satisfied groan.  
  
"Neo," Trinity said softly as she approached him. She reached up and kissed his mouth softly.  
  
"How's Cyprus?" Neo asked, smiling down at his wife.  
  
"Distracted," Link answered.  
  
"All day?" Neo asked with a smile as he walked with one arm around Trinity toward the back of the ship.  
  
"She's had her head plugged into that mainframe for hours. She hasn't surfaced once."  
  
Neo made a soft, thoughtful sound and nodded his head. He reached a door, similar to all the others on the Nebuchadnezzar, except for the fact that it was painted red. The door swung open automatically as it detected his presence.  
  
The room, like its door, was unlike anything on the Nebuchadnzzar. It was fulled from one end to the other with a massive tangle of wires, cables, and glowing monitors. There was a clear path that lead straight down to the center of the room. In the dead center of the massive mess a large clean area. In the middle of that clean area was a tattered chair.  
  
Above the chair there was a pair of goggles that displayed the same images as some of the other monitors in the room. Circling the chair were several opaque squares that served as three-dimensional, multi-angle screens.  
  
"How was the interface?" a young voice asked.  
  
Sitting in the chair with the goggles over her face and her hands on a long keyboard, was a young child.  
  
"Any bumps or snags?"  
  
"Its nice to see you too, Cyprus," Neo chuckled.  
  
"Welcome back Dad," Cyprus said with an air of distraction. "How was the interface?"  
  
"Smooth. I think you got all the bugs out."  
  
Cyprus chuckled softly. "You joke around too much Dad. The day I get all the bugs out is the day I become the ruler of Zion. Hi Mom."  
  
"Hello Cyprus," Trinity answered with a smile, leaning against Neo's side. "Don't you think its time you took yourself off that thing?"  
  
"I'm not working on the interface right now," Cyprus answered.  
  
"Then why are you still plugged in?"  
  
"I'm working on the Archives," Cyprus answered. She flicked one wrist lazily and the opaque squares lit up, displaying what she was viewing.  
  
The monitors displayed a flickering light which Trinity knew was various pages full of pictures and text but that were flickering too quickly for her to read. Neo and Cyprus seemed comfortable with the speed though.  
  
"How far have you gotten?"  
  
"Haven't made any progress. I keep hitting triggers and loosing everything." The screen went blank for the barest moment before springing back into life.  
  
"What's causing it?" Neo asked, leaning over to look closer at the monitors.  
  
"I have no idea," Cyprus answered, her tone distracted. "It cycles every three minutes. Annoying but not exactly distressing."   
  
"Maybe your code is being corrupted," Neo suggested.  
  
"I know it is. I'm watching it disentagrate now."  
  
Cyprus sighed quietly and pulled the goggles off. Long, heavy locks of dark brown hair immediantly fell over her eyes, reclaiming their favorite spot. Her eyes, when they could be seen peeking out from behind her bangs, were a chocolate brown, as dark and soulful as her father's.  
  
It was lucky for Trinity that it was not in Cyprus' nature to be rebellious or try to overstep her bountry's because a penatent expression in those eyes would bring her to her knees, a fact that Neo took great joy in exploiting.  
  
"I'll figure it out later," Cyprus said, mostly to herself. She pushed the now blank screens away from her and settled back in her chair comfortably.  
  
"Lets go eat," Neo suggested. He abandoned leaning on Cyprus' chain in favor of leaning against Trinity's side. "I'm starving."  
  
They always took their meals together, the three of them. It was a time to talk or simply enjoy each others presence. It had been Neo's idea. He enjoyed above all else being with his small family.  
  
"Okay," Cyprus answered. "I'm kinda hungry anyway."  
  
"Good thing," Neo said. "I still think you're waisting away." There was a hint of laughter in his voice as he spoke, nuzzling his nose against Trinity's hair.  
  
Cyprus had been born nearly twelve years ago. She had been sick and weak at birth. She had been three months early and so small Neo could hold her in one hand comfortably. She had hardly been able to breath and completely unable to swallow.  
  
Everyone had thought she would die shortly after birth. The birth had left Trinity very weak and the thought that she would lose the baby sapped the little energy that had remained. Trinity developed a high fever and had slipped into an uneasy rest.  
  
Too much handling made it hard for her to breath so the doctor ordered for the child to be taken from her mother and placed in a warm bassinet where she would not be disturbed. With heavy hearts everyone had waited for her to breath her very last breath.  
  
Only Neo seemed to have no despair in his heart. He had fallen in love with the baby the moment he found out Trinity was pregnant and he would not be separated from her even for a moment. Amongst yells from the doctor and urgings from his friends to leave her be, he had taken his daughter in his arms and disappeared into his room for ten hours.  
  
Everyone thought the baby had died during that time and that he couldn't bare to let her go. Trinity's fever broke and she woken to find Neo watching her. He had smiled, said that their daughter was hungry, and handed the fussy baby to her. Her name is Cyprus, he had said and Trinity had looked down to find the baby looking back at her with eyes the same as Neo's.  
  
Her early birth had stunted her growth and left her vulnerable to illness but she had been going strong ever since. She was quiet and thoughtful, like her father, and had an amazing aptitude for anything that had to do with computers. Her mother's rebellious nature had missed her, thankfully, and Cyprus preferred to spend her time working with her computers or reading books.  
  
Her father's sense of humor had not missed her however. Cyprus had a quiet, quirky sense of humor that was often misunderstood or completely missed by people around her. Her jokes were off color, understated, and delivered in a deadpan voice. She was small, odd, and too smart for her own good.  
  
And Trinity couldn't have asked for more. Cyprus was exactly like a mini version of her father. Neo 2.0. Trinity smiled to herself and felt the arm around her waist tighten.  
  
Cyprus jumped down from her seat and joined her parents. "Are we going to eat?" she asked, clearly missing Trinity's serious musings. "Lunch will be over soon."  
  
Neo wrapped an arm around Cyprus' shoulders and lead them both to the dining room. He knew exactly what Trinity had been thinking about. She reflected on Cyprus' birth too often, dwelling on the fact that her pregnancy had almost ended in a miscarriage. Though he hated to admit it he'd despaired for his unborn daughter's life then but the moment he'd held her in his arms all worry had left him. The baby would make it. He didn't know how or why he knew but he had believed above all else that he would watch his daughter grow. The only thing he wished for was another child, one who looked more like Trinity than himself but he wasn't sure how to ask his wife. Trinity's pregnancy with Cyprus had been a complete surprise and full of dangers for both baby and mother. Neo was terrified that another pregnancy would result in the same hardships but that didn't stop him from dreaming. He'd wanted a large family for as long as he remembered but if Trinity didn't want any more children he would be pleased with what he had. He couldn't help but be content.  
  
Cyprus glanced up at him, a thin line creasing her forehead. She knew something was going on Both her parents were oddly silent and while her father was relaxed her mother was tense. Maybe something had happened in the Matrix earlier. She hadn't watched the codes, she'd been to busy working on the interface. Had something happened there? Why had he gone in anyway? She found that she couldn't remember. As she decided whether or not to ask the Nebuchadnezzar rocked suddenly.  
  
Everyone was knocked off their feet and into the wall. Trinity grabbed hold of a heavy pipe and Neo's shoulder, securing them to the wall. She reached for Cyprus but the ship tipped forward and Cyprus went sliding across the floor on her back. The ship slowed and Cyprus went sliding back the other way.  
  
"You okay?" Neo asked, his voice light and amused.  
  
"Uh, yeah," Cyprus answered as she went sliding forward again. "Its kinda fun," she continued as she slid past her parents. "What's going on?"  
  
"Sentinel attack," Trinity answered and the lights in the ship dimmed.  
  
"That still doesn't explain all of this," Cyprus noted as she slid forward again. "Is Morpheus trying to run them over?"  
  
The ship suddenly rolled to the left and Cyprus went sprawling into the wall with a startled cry. Realizing that the fun was over she tried to grab hold of something but bounced off the wall and went sliding toward the other. The ship chose that moment to flip upside down and hit the ground with a loud bang.  
  
Neo and Trinity were knocked from their safe hold against the wall and went sliding toward the ceiling, which was now the floor. Cyprus, who had nothing to hold on to, fell instead of slid and landed heavily with a pained groan.  
  
"That was odd," Neo chuckled.  
  
Trinity looked up at him. He had grabbed her as they fell, holding her tight, and she was now sprawled across his chest, his arms still tight around her waist. She had no idea how he could think any of this was funny but he was chuckling to himself and she could hear that Cyprus was laughing too from somewhere on her left.  
  
"Are you all right Cy?" Trinity asked, grinning as Neo nuzzled her ear with his nose.  
  
"You bet," Cyprus answered, sitting up. Her lower lip was busted and bleeding down her chin and there was a large bruise forming on her left cheek bone.  
  
"You're bleeding," Trinity said, shoving Neo away and hurrying to her daughter.  
  
"I'm fine Mom," Cyprus assured, sitting still as Trinity dabbed her busted lip with the hem of her shirt. "It doesn't hurt."  
  
"She's fine Trin," Neo chuckled.  
  
Trinity scowled at him, helping Cyprus to her feet. "I'll take her to the med bay. You go find out what's going on."  
  
Neo nodded agreeably. Trinity was as fiercely protective of Cyprus as she was of him and he knew better than to mess with her right now.  
  
"Don't need med bay," he heard Cyprus grumbled and quickened his steps to avoid the argument that was sure to ensue.  
  
*******  
  
This i the third request fic I've ever done. Well it actually might be the four if a sequel that was asked for by fans can be considered a request. I think it is so that makes four. I'm a people pleaser. Its hard for me to say no when I'm asked to write stuff. So the title and all of that will be explained later and all that jazz.  
  
Please read, enjoy, and review. Or a plague upon your house!  
  
Thanks,  
  
Jo 


	2. Chapter Two

The Sum of Us  
  
A Matrix Fanfiction  
  
(formally known as the flight of horis)  
  
By: Writes with Block  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: The next time I update this story I am going to change the title from The Flight of Horis to The Sum of Us, as I have thought of a new plot for this. Just wanted everyone to know so that there wouldn't be any confusion. On with the show.  
  
***  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Cyprus climbed up into the helm, a faintly annoyed expression on her face. Her bottom lip was stitched up and she'd changed out of her blood stained shirt. Trinity followed her, looking triumphant.  
  
"Guess you needed med bay after all," Neo whispered to Cyprus as she stood at his side.  
  
Cyprus choice to ignore him. "What happened?" she asked Morpheus, digging an elbow into Neo's ribs has he chuckled at her.  
  
"A sentinel attack. We've been ordered to return to Zion."  
  
As the crew rejoiced no one heard Cyprus mumble in a drawn voice.  
  
"Great."  
  
*****  
  
Cyprus sat in Link's chair, her chin resting in one up raised palm, idly watching the green letters that spelled out the Matrix code roll down the screen. She knew how to read it but it was difficult for her to imagine the things that it said were there. Her archives were a gathering of information, a collection of the old world that had been lost. Most of the information came from people's reaccounting of their lives in the Matrix.  
  
It was hard for Cyprus to believe that all the things in the Matrix had been real at some point in time. Humanity, or what remained of it, had certainly fallen along way. Where people had once been leaving in buildings that reached the sky, they were now living in the sewers much like the rats her father hated so much.  
  
He'd told her allot about the things that were in the Matrix, understanding that it meant allot to her. She would never see what was inside the Matrix, never really know what had once been. Perhapse it was because she had not been in the Matrix, would never be inside, but Cyprus didn't understand what was so terribly bad about it.  
  
It was as real as you allowed yourself to believe it was and that was the basic principal that allowed her father do to all the amazing things he could do while in the system. If you believed the Matrix was real then it made it real, at least in your mind and in the system that's all that really mattered. Nothing about that seemed wrong to Cyprus but her thoughts ran on the principal that everyone had the choice. And it kind of seemed like they did or no one would ever be able to be unplugged. Those who were unplugged didn't believe in the system and they were freed of it. It seemed logically and like a fairly good deal to her.  
  
But then there were those people who simply couldn't get their minds to think that way. They couldn't get themselves to believe that everything they knew simply what's real. That had to be one heck of a mind trip. Those were the people the rebels were trying to save. Those people who were slaves to the system and had no idea that they were living nothing but a dream. And Cyprus agreed with them. She didn't like dreams very much.  
  
She continued to stare at the screen, ignoring the portal computer, what her father called a 'lap top', that was sitting on her lap. She had come up here nearly two hours ago, assuring Link that she could watch the system while he got some much needed sleep, intent on working on the glitch in her archives. She had yet to do any work. At first she thought it was because she was distracted by the Matrix code but she knew the real reason was Zion.  
  
She hated Zion.  
  
"Hey kiddo," a soft voice greeted. "What are you doing up here?"  
  
Jerked out of her musings, Cyprus looked up quickly and gave her father a soft nod before answering, "I couldn't sleep and thought I'd relieve Link until the next shift started."  
  
Neo sat down with a sigh and stared out the front window. "Why can't you sleep?"  
  
Cyprus shrugged. "I'm just restless."  
  
"Because of Zion," Neo stated simply.  
  
Cyprus scowled. Her father had an annoying habit of knowing stuff when she rather keep secrets. It was the most formible weapon in his arsenal of parenting skills. Luckily, as his daughter, she had inherited that trait and often turned it against him. Now though she couldn't and she didn't know what to say so she snorted softly.  
  
"I know you hate going there but you've never said why."  
  
'Because I'm your daughter,' she thought darkly but remained silent.  
  
"Ever since you were little you've hated it."  
  
"Mom still asleep?" Cyprus asked, changing the subject without tact.  
  
"Yeah," Neo sighed. "I really wish you'd talk to me Cyprus."  
  
"I do Dad. I tell you everything."  
  
"You're not telling me what's wrong. You haven't been sleeping well lately and I hear you coughing at night."  
  
"I've been cold lately."  
  
"You only get that cough when you're stressed out."  
  
Once again Cyprus found herself silently wishing she were more like her mother. She hated the fact that she wore her heart on her sleeve like her father. It made her too easy to read; made it too hard to keep secret the things she didn't want to talk about. She wanted her hatred for Zion to be a secret, she wanted her sleeplessness to be a secret, and above all else she wanted her stress to be secret.  
  
"Talk to me Cy," Neo said urgently, turning to her and taking her hand in his gently.  
  
Cyprus sighed, lowering her eyes. "I just don't like Zion," she said finally. "Its too crowded. And its hot. It makes it hard for me to breath."  
  
Neo's eyes were sorrowful, a clear sign that he didn't believe her, and he sat back in his chair with a sigh of regret.  
  
A lump formed in Cyprus' throat and her stomach churned hotly. She tried to ignore it, tried to wait until it would go away, but she knew better than that. Whether he meant to or not Neo really knew how to play the guilt card.  
  
"I don't like the way people treat me in Zion," she said quickly. "Some of them treat me like I don't have a single thought in my head and others expect me to have all the answers. I don't know what to tell them when I don't. They think I'm you and I hate that."  
  
Neo was still, processing what she had just told him, and then nodded softly. "I don't have the answers either Cy," he said softly. "I have no idea what is going to happen but I try my best to give people the kind of faith that I have. People want to hear that the Matrix is going to be destroyed, that the people inside are going to be saved, and that the war will end."  
  
"I don't have the answers the way you do Dad. I don't have that kind of faith."  
  
"I know you don't. How can you when you've never fought before?" He smiled at her and ruffled her hair gently. "But you have faith in me don't you?"  
  
"Of course," she answered, pushing his hand away from her hair. She hated when he did that and he knew it. "In you and Mom and Morpheus."  
  
"Then keep believing in us and you'll find your answer," he said simply. "Off to bed with you. You need some sleep or you'll get sick."  
  
Cyprus jumped down from the chair, gathering her computer. "Night Dad."  
  
"I love you baby."  
  
"Love you too Dad," Cyprus answered and jumped down the ladder. Once she was out of ear shot she groaned softly, putting one hand to her stomach. The burning sensation had only gotten worse as she kept talking. She wasn't telling him the whole truth, the real reason why she couldn't sleep. Trying to push those thoughts away, Cyprus entered her room and collapsed on her bunk. It was going to be another very long night.  
  
*****  
  
"Don't pick at that," Trinity scolded, pushing Cyprus' fingers away from her busted lip. "You'll tear out the stitches."  
  
Cyprus rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue, making Neo chuckle quietly.  
  
They were all gathered at the bottom of the ship, waiting for it to land in Zion. Cyprus had dismantled a large portion of her computer system so she could install it in her room and she was now sitting on the frame of a large monitor.  
  
The ship swayed softly and there was a gentle bump as the ship settled on the ground. The hatch opened and everyone hurried out, glad to be home again. Cyprus rolled them, subdued, and hoping that no one would stop them.  
  
Her wish was quickly squashed however as several of the council members approached her father. Cyprus sighed to herself. Her mother was allowed to sit in council meetings but, while no one ever denied her access, Cyprus' presence was not welcome.  
  
She gave her mom a quick wave and hurried off in the direction of her room to set up her computer. Another thing she hated about being in Zion was that her parents had less time to spend with her. Their presence was always requested somewhere. So she trudged off to her room alone, her heart heavy.  
  
******  
  
I hadn't really planned on updating again so soon but I got such nice reviews that I felt like I should. Thank you to Bren, Elizabeth Riddle, and Just another Matrix fanatic. You guys really gave me quite the ego boost. I really thought this story was rather mediocre and not one of the best things I've done recently but it looks like I was wrong. Thanks allot you guys. Your opinions really mean allot to me.  
  
I'm going to try and update once every week. That will give me plenty of time to write a really in depth chapter. This one is short and I wrote it in about an hour but all I wanted out of this one was some interaction between Neo and Cyprus and a bit of foreshadowing.  
  
And to Julie, here's another chapter. Earlier than I thought it would be. Now stop yelling at me. *hides under the desk* 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three  
  
Cyprus pushed the heavy monitor into the alcove in the back of her apartment. It was really nothing more than a hole in the stone with a heavy metal door. The room was a wide circle with three alcoves cut into the stone wall, one on the left, one on the right, and the last in the very back of her room.  
  
The alcove on the left housed her bed, bigger and more comfortable than the cot she had on the Nebuchadnezzar. The alcove on the right had a small table, one tattered chair, and a small lamp. Pieces of machinery were strewn across the table, the chair, and the shelves that were cut out of the stone wall. Cyprus shoved some of the machinery aside as she snaked a heavy cord from the monitor to the outlet behind the table. The monitor sprung to life and Cyprus smiled at it.  
  
Loneliness was a large part of her life in Zion and Cyprus had spent a great portion of her younger years trying to find a way to fill that void. Attempts at making friends had failed for various reasons and Cyprus had long since given up on having friends that were her own age. So she'd turned to what had always been in her life, computers. And that had lead to Pren.  
  
The monitor flashed white and then turned black. As she watched the image of a small cartoon frog, a creature her father had told her about, walked onto the screen.  
  
"Hullo Cyprus," it greeted, waving an arm.  
  
"Hi Pren," Cyprus responded with a small smile.  
  
"We're back in Zion then?" the frog asked, sitting in the middle of the screen. "How long will we be staying?"  
  
"Morpheus didn't say. After the sentinel attack we came running here. There are repairs that need to be done to the ship from that crash we took into the ground. And there might be something going on here. The second we got off the ship the Council members hurried my dad off."  
  
"I thought you looked abnormally glum. Look here, Cyprus, your father is very important here and you know its hard for him to spend time with you or your mother while you are here. And before you start ranting about how your mother gets to sit with him during the meetings, do you think she enjoys it?"  
  
"Oh shove off Pren," Cyprus mumbled. She hated it when people pinpointed what was bothering her but of course Pren would know. He'd been her best and closed friend for over seven years and he spent most of their time in Zion in her head, whispering things to her. He was like her conscience but better because he got move from one place to another.  
  
She had found him more than seven years ago during the long, long hours she spent on the computer while in Zion. He had appeared suddenly, as if in answer to her loneliness, and they had been good friends ever since.  
  
"Don't take your frustrations out on me," the frog said. "I'm just the messenger."  
  
"I'm tired Pren. I don't want to play games." Cyprus massaged her temples gently, a deep cough building inside her chest. She tried to ignore it, tried to breath normally. She didn't want to get sick again. "I'm not feeling very well either."  
  
"You are stressed out."  
  
"That's what Dad said."  
  
"And he's right. Why don't you get something to eat and relax on your bed?"  
  
"That's a good idea."  
  
Cyprus spun the wheel on her door and it swung open. There were several home spun blankets folded neatly to the side of her door. Wicker baskets filled with flat breads and crackers. People had started leaving her things whenever they came to Zion about four years ago. She didn't really mind. It was a good way to get blankets, food, and clothes without having to leave her room. She gathered the items and closed her door. She tossed the blankets, three new ones, onto her bed and pulled on one of the new sweaters.  
  
"I've been pretty cold lately," she said.  
  
"Feeling better I see. You're so moody all the time Cyprus. You get it from your father you know. He's always being so melodramatic and dark."  
  
"He's got a reason," Cyprus defended. "He's got the weight of two worlds resting on his shoulders. Everyone expects him to destroy the Matrix but he has no idea how. Dad doesn't have the answers and he desperately wishes he did. He's afraid to let my mom fight because if she dies he's going to be alone but he knows that he can't stop her."  
  
"And you're just like your mother," Pren said smugly, interrupting Cyprus' rant. "Why the two of you are so protective of that man I'll never know. He is Superman after all."  
  
Cyprus sat down on the floor to eat. 'Cause he could lose his way,' she thought, answering Pren silently. 'He could lose his way so easily and lose faith in himself. Then he would die in the Matrix. Everyone thinks its impossible but no one is invincible. Not even my dad. And he will die. If he loses his way and then Mom will follow him and I'll be alone. And then everyone will expect me to do things that I cannot. Dad can never lose faith. If he does we'll all die.'  
  
She put a piece of cracker in her mouth and chewed quietly. She finished her small meal in silence, her mind curiously blank. It was a trick she had taught herself many years ago. It helped her to relax, which in turn helped her ward of illness, and it also served to clear her mind and help her solve problems.  
  
"You are being pensive again," Pren noted.  
  
"You're wrong about that," Cyprus quipped. "I wasn't thinking about anything. And don't make any jokes about being empty minded."  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it. You are anything but empty minded."  
  
"Contrary to popular belief."  
  
"Pensive," Pren sang.  
  
"Maybe I ought to unplug you again."  
  
"You'll be lonely."  
  
"Better lonely than annoyed."  
  
Before Pren had a chance to answer there was a knock on the door. Cyprus glanced at it, surprised, and got up to answer it. She spun the wheel and swung the heavy door in toward herself. She was surprised to see a captain from one of the other ships. She was unable to recall either his name or that of his ship. She waited for him to speak first.  
  
"I need to speak to your father," he said curtly, speaking to her as one would a lesser being.  
  
"Did you knock on his door?" Cyprus asked, careful to keep her voice neutral and devoid of emotion.  
  
"There was no answer."  
  
"Then he isn't there," she said simply and stepped back to close the door.  
  
"I need to speak with him now," the man growled.  
  
"If he isn't in his room he's off somewhere taking care of business."  
  
"Go get him!" the man roared, his eyes glinting darkly.  
  
"I don't know where he is and even if I didn't I wouldn't go get him. If he's away he's busy."  
  
"When he gets back tell him I was here," the man ordered and stormed away.  
  
"Yeah....no..." Cyprus mumbled to herself and shut the door, spinning the wheel to securely shut it. She stood at it for a long moment, thinking of the man's angry eyes.  
  
"Everything all right Cy?" Pren asked.  
  
"I'm not sure," Cyprus sighed, her hands still resting on the wheel. Two more turns would lock it.  
  
"Do you know him?"  
  
"I thought at first that he was a captain but know I'm not so sure. I can't seem to place his face."  
  
"There are many captains. You can't possible know them all."  
  
"I know that. But something about that guy strikes me wrong. Something about his eyes." She stared at the door wheel, seeing the man's glinting eyes in her mind, and spun it twice, listening as the bolt slid home.  
  
******  
  
I gotta job. Finally. I've been trying to get on for months. So I wrote this chapter because I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and I had planned on working on this Monday and Tuesday but now I have to go to work. So I did this kind of quick and it defiantly didn't go quite the way I'd planned but its still okay and it stays with the plot I'd thought up, so don't yell at me for changing things Julie. I can't take the yelling.  
  
And, of course. The thank you list. A very big thank you too:  
  
angle of darkness 4585 (i'm notorious for bad spelling)  
  
Ice Flame (i'm glad you're looking forward to future chapters)  
  
Shadow Peach (thank you for your lovely comments and if i do ever start writing out of character please tell me)  
  
AND  
  
Bren (cheers mate! ^__^) 


	4. Chapter Four

The Sum of Us  
  
By: Writes with Block  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Cyprus felt one side of her bed sag. She struggled to open her eyes, fighting against the fatigue that had settled over her. She struggled, becoming panicked and disoriented. A hand rested on her forehead gently and she relaxed back into her bed.  
  
"You've gone to bed early. Is something wrong?"  
  
Cyprus shook he head in response to her mother's voice and tried to open her eyes.  
  
A fingertip drew a soothing line across her forehead and she stilled.  
  
"Your father will be in later."  
  
'So that's why she's here alone,' Cyprus thought drowsily.  
  
For as long as she could remember her father had come to tuck her in at night. She wasn't sure why he did it, neither did her mother, but Cyprus enjoyed it. It was quiet time that she could spend, uninterrupted with both parents.  
  
Cyprus drifted in that vague place between sleeping and waking as her mother sat quietly on her bed, drawing her fingertip back and forth her daughter's forehead. She was unsure of how much time had passed but eventually the door opened again.  
  
"She awake?" her father's voice whispered.  
  
"No," Trinity answered quietly. "She was asleep when I came in."  
  
"Is she sick?" Neo asked and the bed sagged again.  
  
"She said she's feeling all right," Trinity answered and drew a finger across Cyprus' forehead.  
  
"At least she ate today," Neo said, putting a hand on Cyprus' knee. "She's doing okay, isn't she?" he asked.   
  
There was that same old hint of insecurity in his voice that Cyprus had heard off and on her whole life.  
  
"She's fine Neo," Trinity answered, her voice patient and slightly amused as it always was when she responded to his worries. "She's always fine."  
  
"She looks so small sometimes," Neo mumbled, his voice slightly wistful, as if he were thinking of things far gone.  
  
Trinity chuckled softly and the bed sagged. Silence filled the room and Cyprus was suer they were kissing. She opened one eye lazily.  
  
"Quit making out in my room," Cyprus mumbled.  
  
"I thought you were asleep," Neo chuckled, turning to his daughter. He hugged Trinity to him, grinning at her quickly.  
  
"Couldn't decide if I wanted to wake up or not," Cyprus muttered.  
  
"Sleepy?" Neo asked, twining her fingers with hers.  
  
"Yup. Go away," Cyprus replied, pulling her hand away. "I'm tired."  
  
"You ate good?" Trinity asked as Neo's hand settled over her own.  
  
"Yeah. Ate all those offerings."  
  
"I thought you hated when people did that."  
  
Cyprus shrugged tiredly. "It was outside the door and I didn't feel like going to find food."  
  
"What did you do all day?"  
  
"Worked on my computer," Cyprus yawned.  
  
"Again Cy?"  
  
"What else am I gonna do all day? I could sleep," she added, answering her own question.  
  
"You could have gone to help Morpheus with the repairs on the ship."  
  
"Or I could pull the stitches out of my lip on my own," Cyprus snorted.  
  
"Without a topical."  
  
"Leave your lip alone," Trinity snapped. "Go to sleep," she said, her voice soft again.  
  
"That's what I've been trying to do," she mumbled as Neo fluffed her pillow and pulled the blankets up to her chin.  
  
"Good night Cy," Trinity said drawing a fingertip across Cyprus' forehead again. She trailed a casual hand through Neo's hair as she walked out the door.  
  
Neo smiled at her as she walked away and then turned back to Cyprus.  
  
"Lemme 'lone," she mumbled as Neo tossled her hair.  
  
"Good night Cy," Neo said softly, kissing her forehead gently. "Sleep well baby."  
  
"Night Dad," Cyprus mumbled.  
  
As her father walked away Cyprus remembered the man that had come to her door earlier. She was ready to call to him when the door closed and the lock turned. With a shrug Cyprus rolled over to go back to sleep. She could always tell him later.  
  
******************  
  
Author's Notes: That was short but I guess that's okay. I wanted to show more parent/child interaction and that exactly what I did. I wrote most of it at work today cause I have a thirty minutes break. Quite surprised by that one. Speaking of work that stupid machine that endorses checks and prints out the reciepts hates me. It always eats the reciept and then I have to open the dumb thing and I end up chipping my nails on that razor that cuts the check. Now I've got all these little nicks on my nails. Oh well. I'll be getting a paycheck sometime next week. My first one!!! ^___^  
  
Enough about my life. Lets talk about you. Thank you. And here's the list. Thank you very much too:  
  
Cassie  
  
Ice Flame  
  
Bren  
  
AND  
  
kurleyhawk2  
  
I'm not sure if its been longer than a week but if it has I'm sorry. Work is taking up allot of my time. I'll try to have the next chapter out soon. Oh and my dad fixed out computer so I should be working allot more now. Please review! 


	5. Chapter Five

The Sum of Us  
  
By: Writes with Block  
  
***  
  
Disclaimer: Its not mine. If it was I wouldn't be broke.  
  
***  
  
Chapter Five  
  
"Cy!"  
  
Cyprus looked up and a small smile sprung to her lips. "Hi Link. What's up?"  
  
"You were talking to yourself again."  
  
Cyprus nodded softly. No one knew about Pren and so no one knew that he could travel with her. Years ago she had developed a fiber optic patch that, when adhered to the spot just behind her ear, allowed Pren to speak to her where ever she went.  
  
"Trying to figure out that problem with the Achieve."  
  
"Everyone's going to think you're crazy. Talking to yourself like that." Link wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading her to a low bench. "Eat lunch with me."  
  
Cyprus smiled. Everyone that she had a personal relationship with treated her like this. They were over protective.  
  
Link always went out of his way to make sure she ate properly. Morpheus always brought her books, most often poorly bound, on subjects he thought would interest her. People who her parents were friends with would stop her and ask how she was.  
  
It drove her insane.  
  
"Eat up," Link said, pushing a plate of flat breads and crackers to her.  
  
She ate some even though she wasn't hungry. It was easier than trying to convince him she didn't need to.  
  
"Why don't you just tell people about me?" Pren whispered.  
  
Cyprus ignored her frog companion. He could be annoying and was most of the time but it was better than being alone all the time. Allot better.  
  
"Have the repairs finished?" Cyprus asked, half out of a want to be gone from Zion and half in an attempt to make small talk. She never was any good with people.  
  
"Almost," Link replied with a grimace. "It wouldn't take so damn long if Morpheus hadn't flipped damn the ship." Link paused. "Don't tell your mom I was cussing around you, okay? She'll have my head."  
  
Cyprus shrugged. "My dad says worse things when I'm around."  
  
"But your mom won't kill him. She'll just make him sleep in your room."  
  
Cyprus wrinkled her nose. "He hogs the covers."  
  
"So I've heard." Someone called his name and Link waved a greeting. "I'll talk to ya later, okay kid?"  
  
"Yeah sure."  
  
Link got up and tousled her hair. "Eat something," he tossed over his shoulder as he walked off.  
  
Cyprus rolled her eyes and straightened her mussed hair. Why did everyone insist on doing that? She broke off another bit of cracker and put it in her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully, listening to Pren sing a nonsense song about a cat and a fiddle.  
  
"What's a fiddle Pren?" she asked under her breath.  
  
"A musical instrument consisting of a wodden frame, strings, and a bow."  
  
"Like a guitar?"  
  
"A bit but its much smaller."  
  
Cyprus nodded her understand and ate a small piece of bread. The distinct feeling that someone was watching her washed over her suddenly and she lowered her head.  
  
"That's the one I was telling you about," someone whispered.  
  
The young girl almost winced. They were talking about her. People were always doing that, pointing at her and whispering to each other under their breath. It was never quite enough though and she always heard them.  
  
"She's the daughter of the One. Looks like him, doesn't she?"  
  
"She sure does. Is she as weird as they say?" another female voice whispered in return.  
  
Cyprus' cheeks burned red hot and her mouth went painfully dry. She hated it when people stared and even more when they talked.  
  
"She sure is. She doesn't have any friends."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"The other kids don't like her. They say she's really weird. She talks to herself all the time and she's always getting sick. Most of the time she just hides out in her room. I think her parents make up all that stuff about her being sick. I think they're just hiding her cause she really is crazy and they don't want people to know."  
  
Cyprus ground her teeth together, her cheeks stinging and tears of humiliation welling her in clenched eyes. She forgot to breath, her chest on fire with shame and embarrassment.  
  
"No," one of the women breathed, giggling and frienging disbelief.  
  
"Its true," the other answered, giggling as well. "She's crazy and they don't want her around other people. That's why they spend so much time away from Zion." The woman tsked under her breath. "Imagine that girl keeping her father from the people who need him the most."  
  
"Its a shame," the other woman replied, her voice self righteous.  
  
Their words faded as they walked away, their attention now on something and someone else, Cyprus dismissed from their minds. It wasn't quite as easy for Cyprus to forget as her stomach churned with sick cramps and hot, shameful tears escaped from her eyes.  
  
"Just forget them Cy," Pren said, his voice sympathetic. "She doesn't know anything. She's just like the rest of them."  
  
His words fell on deaf ears as Cyprus heaved a ragged breath. A strangle sob managed to escape her lips and she whimpered as tears coursed down her face. Clenched fists hovered near her chest, strangling the material of her shirt as she tried to force the pain away. She sputtered and whined, a whimpering peal of pain escaping her lips. Her nose ran and her chest burned, screaming for oxygen she suddenly couldn't pull into her lungs.  
  
Her father's cheerful laugh fell on her ears and she looked up, her eyes full of desperation. His face was blurry as she tried to look at him through tear clouded eyes and then things went gray.  
  
***  
  
Cyprus sat in her room at her computer, morose and silent. Breath wheezed out from slightly parted lips. After waking from her latest attack of ill health she had been told sternly by her mother to remain in her room and rest. She had no intention of doing anything else. She couldn't take any more humiliation.  
  
So she sat at her small table, her shoulders hunched and a pair of goggles pulled down over her eyes. She wasn't working on anything, just staring out into the void that existed between the Matrix and the Construct. Blakc-purple swirled in front of her eyes and she stared at it listlessly.  
  
"Hi."  
  
The corner of Cyprus' mouth twitched a little. She had heard stories before about voices in the void of the empty Construct. Voices that sang and laughed and screamed and, sometimes, spoke coherently. She'd always believed it was nothing but rumors. After all the time she'd spent plug-in she'd never heard anything.  
  
At least until now.  
  
"How you doing?" The voice waited for an answer and continued when she was silent. "Feeling any better?"  
  
"How did you know?" Cyprus mumbled, her voice weak.  
  
"When you spend all your time out here you learn allot of stuff. I'm Souris."  
  
"I'm Cyprus."  
  
"Wanna see something cool?"  
  
"Yeah. Okay."  
  
******  
  
Author's Notes: Oi. Its been a while. I'm so good at writing filler chapters but this one does have a point cause it builds up some plot. I wasn't even going to work on this story. I meant to work on one of my original works but I'm kinda blocked so I wrote this instead. Sorry for the wait. ^___^  
  
And a very big thank you too:  
  
Allie (i'm still full of romance and big dreams)  
  
Chris (I love characterization ^_^)  
  
Jessilea (Thank you very much)  
  
ChibiRaihaHK (Glad you like it)  
  
Cassie (that was my favorite part too)  
  
Ryanne (I'm glad you like it)  
  
AND  
  
Bren (i'll try to update more often) 


	6. Chapter Six

The Sum Of Us  
  
By: Writes with Block  
  
Disclaimer: If it were mine I could buy a Mini-Copper.  
  
Author's Note:  
  
Dreadfully sorry for the long wait. I'm not doing it intentionally. My muse just goes away and decides when it wants to come back. And, to answer Cassie's question, I haven't abandoned this fic. I'm just a slow updater. Sorry!  
  
Chapter Six  
  
It was the air that first drew her attention for it was something she had never felt before. There were vents on the Neb and in Zion but this was different. The air held a different quality.  
'Not air,' Cyprus realized slowly. 'It's wind. This is wind.' She raised a hand and felt with delight the wind whistle around her fingers. She breathed in deeply, feeling the cool, sweet air fill her nose and continue down into her lungs.  
"It doesn't hurt," she realized out loud. Her hand was steady as she pressed it to her chest. She took another breath and there was no rattling, no crackling, no bubbling. The only thing she felt was the strong, even beat of her heart and the firm expansion of her chest as she breathed in.  
Her sickly, weak heart and her wet, struggling lungs. They were working, they were normal. The pain, the unending pain, was gone. Her joints, her chest, her head. It was all clear, all clean, all strong.  
With a whoop of unimaginable joy she began to run and suddenly there was somewhere to go. She raced across a field of green, the wind pushing her hair back. The ground sloped suddenly and she fell, rolling and tumbling over herself. Sprawled where she landed, she remained still, her eyes closed tightly to savor the steady rhythm of her own breathing. She began to laugh and pulled out tuffs of grass to toss into the air. Her laughter gave away to deep, even breathing. There was no need to worry here. No fears and no troubles. She lay quietly, enjoying the wind that rustled her hair. Lying quietly she let her mind drift.  
"I cannot breath properly," she said to herself. "My heart is weak and my lungs are not well. There is no wind, no ground, no grass, no sky. This is impossible."  
The moment the words left her mouth ever thing changed. The gentle wind turned into a cold, howling monster. The lush grass turned into brambles and pricked at her flesh. Everything turned dark and dank and chilling.  
She sat up quickly, casting about. Everything was cloaked in shadow. A rancid smell filled the air and, in the distance, something screamed. The ground swelled slightly and then settled. Cyprus pinwheeled her arms desperately for balance as the motion was repeated once, twice, three times. There were three heavy huffs as the ground settled and Cyprus realized that the ground was breathing. It was alive.  
A sick wash of hot acid hit her stomach and she moaned in fear. The ground heaved again and she staggered.  
"What is your purpose?"  
The corner of Cyprus' mouth twitched and she cast about for the voices' origin.  
"What is your purpose?!" the disembodied voice demanded.  
"Who are you?" she demanded.  
"Tell me your purpose!"  
"Leave me alone!" Cyprus screamed. She pushed her palms against her ears and continued to scream. "Leave me alone! Stop talking to me!"  
"Tell me!!" the voice screamed. "Tell me now!" The dim darkness opened and there were teeth. They snapped together once, twice.  
Cyprus screamed and struggled to get away. Something was clinging to her face and she torn at it, crushing it in her hand. It hissed as she continued to choke at it and she bolted up right. Dim lights sprang to life suddenly and Cyprus realized she was in her room. The object she was crushing in her hand was her breathing mask. She dropped it onto the bed. Her chest was heaving and her throat was whistling sharply. With a sigh Cyprus dropped her head into her eyes.  
It was just a dream. Just a nightmare.  
'It was going to eat me,' Cyprus thought. 'That think was going to eat me alive.' A harsh shudder ran down her spine and cold chills raked her body.  
"Just a dream," she assured herself. "Nothing but a nightmare," she whispered. One of the machines on shelves behind her bed beeped and Cyprus turned to it.  
Her body temperature was dropping. The decline was not rapid or steep but Cyprus doubted her ability to raise it on her own. Her body was covered in a film of sweat and her sheets were damp.  
"Pren," she called, turning away from her machines.  
"Yes Cyprus?" the frog asked, his screen coming to life.  
"Activate Beezle."  
Pren groaned. "Not him Cy."  
"My body temperature is dropping and I can't stand up," Cyprus snapped. "Just to it."  
Pren said nothing and in a few seconds Cyprus heard the soft whirl of gears. The soft click-clack of metal legs against the floor approached the bed slowly. Her blanket was pulled toward the floor and she held on to it. The click-clack continued up the side of her bed and before too long a blue spider had climbed onto her mattress. It wasn't an actual spider but rather a piece of gear built to look like one.  
"Need something boss?"  
"Warm saline," she answered. As Beezle skittered away to retrieve the requested item Cyprus pealed off her damp clothing and redressed, disgusted that the act left her exhausted. She rested her back against the wall behind her bed, her eyes shut. Spindly, skinny legs crawled up her legs and Cyprus chuckled at the sensation even as she shuttered. She was old enough to think it was fun but not so old that she didn't still think it was a little creepy.  
"Here ya go boss," Beezle said.  
"Hang it up please." Cyprus listened as Beezle skittered up the wall and hung the IV bag on the hook. The tube dropped against her shoulder. She took it and located the rough patch of scar tissue in the crock of her elbow. With an expert touch she inserted the needle into her vein and sat back as the warm liquid coursed through her chilled body.  
"Temps going up boss," Beezle remarked as it crawled over to inspect Cyprus' arm. The machine beeped again but it was a different tone and Cyprus sighed. "Heart rate's kind of fast. Want a sleeping pill boss?"  
Cyprus opened her mouth to say yes and the memory of the nightmare flared to life. "No thanks Beezle. I don't really want to sleep right now."  
"How come boss?" Beezle asked as he click-clacked his way to check the machines' readouts.  
'Cause something might eat me,' she thought and shuddered. ''Just not tired. I've been sleeping allot during the day lately."  
"You got a fever boss. I'll inject some aspirin." Beezle click-clacked about his task and announced when it was done. "Got any crackles boss? Let me check your lungs."  
"Don't," Cyprus said sharply. "Just....leave it alone."  
"Whatever you say boss but you'll pass out if you can't breath."  
"Yeah yeah," Cyprus sighed. "I know." She looked briefly at the crumbled oxygen mask that was dangling of her mattress. Her body still felt cold and her joints were throbbing with dull pain. If she went to sleep against there would be more nightmares. She didn't know why she felt so certain about it but she did.  
'I don't want to get eaten,' Cyprus thought and shook her head. 'I'm never going to get any sleep like this. I'm going to make myself sick again.' She shivered miserably and pulled the IV needle from her arm.  
"What's up boss?" Beezle asked.  
"I'm going to my parents' room," Cyprus answered, wrapping a blanket around herself and standing. "You can shut down or charge or whatever you want."  
"What's bothering you boss?"  
"Nothing Beezle. I'll be fine." With a soft grunt of effort Cyprus spun the lock back and pulled the door open. Letting it swing shut behind her, Cyprus stood for a moment in the empty hallway, shivering. Everything was still and quiet and dark. There was the ever present hum of the engineering level and nothing else. This was the way she liked Zion. No people clogging the hallways, no music pounding against the walls, no hot air that clogged the lungs.  
With a sigh, Cyprus walked next door on legs that felt too weak and loose. She tapped once, twice, and then waited. It wasn't long before the door swung open quietly. It was, as it she knew it would be, Neo. He always answered the door. Trinity slept too deeply to hear her timid tapping but Neo always woke. He looked sleepy and slightly unsettled, his hair tousled and eyelids heavy with sleep, but his eyes shore with emotion as he regarded her with worry.  
"What's wrong baby?" he asked, ushering inside and securing the door.  
"I've got a fever and my temperature is dropping," Cyprus answered and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. Neo looked at her as if he thought there was something she wasn't telling him and Cyprus almost sighed outloud. How did he always know when something was bothering her?  
"Did you have another nightmare?" he asked gently, his fingertips stroking her bangs lightly. "You haven't been sleeping well lately. You always look exhausted. Are you getting sick?"  
"I don't know. I never feel well in Zion. The air is too heavy. I can't breath. And I had another nightmare."  
"Thought so," Neo said. "Come on. Its late and we both need some sleep."  
Neo was asleep within minutes of laying down but Cyprus remained awake, staring up at the ceiling. She was safe, laying between her parents, her father's arm pulling her against his chest, but she could shake the feeling that something was out there.  
Something that wanted to eat her.  
  
A bit short but still pretty good I think. Thanks for sticking with me everyone! Please read, enjoy, and review.  
  
A big thank you to:  
  
Cassie  
  
Carrie  
  
Chris  
  
And everyone else who has been so kind and reviewed. 


End file.
